


Letters Sent

by Elsinore_and_Inverness



Category: Discworld
Genre: Book: The Shepherd’s Crown, Gen, Vetinari is a witch
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:02:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25003585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elsinore_and_Inverness/pseuds/Elsinore_and_Inverness
Summary: Steadings change hands. Vetinari said he’d be watching.
Kudos: 22





	Letters Sent

Lord Vetinari opened The Times to the crossword puzzle and watched as letters bloomed upon the paper like invisible ink held up to heat. They were written in angular handwriting, carefully as though copying off an answer key. 

In the words of the puzzle ‘mistress’ and ‘doyen’ intersected with ‘quietus’ and ‘bereavement.’

He’d been notified. The witch of witches, or the ripple in the universe she’d left behind, had spend a little bit of the last of her magic on _him._

Vetinari had never sought affirmation that it was okay for him to be a witch or recognition from the senior witches that he actually was one. But Esme had spoken on behalf of all witches and she had known. 

He felt quite overcome.

It was his duty to do what he could for whoever came next.

-

A few weeks later Geoffrey Swivel received a letter. It was addressed:

_Lancre._

_Hello, Mr Shawn Ogg. Please deliver this to Geoffrey’s Cottage._

‘Lancre’ was written in a businesslike secretarial hand, and the sentence below it was spidery and playful with calligraphic curls in the tops of the letters. It had no return address, but it was sealed with black wax stamped with a V.

Geoffrey unsealed the envelope and began to read. 

_Dear Mx Geoffrey Swivel, Witch of Lancre,_

Geoffrey ran a finger over the honorific. How did the Patrician know? 

_It may be of interest to you to know that the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork considers himself a practitioner of witchcraft._

Ah. That would be why.

_Since you are taking over the steading of Mistress Weatherwax, may she Rest In Peace, I thought_

Geoffrey frowned at this. There didn’t seem to be enough space between the words in the phrase maysherestinpeace.

_that while Tiffany Aching is the first among equals, there is no reason to discontinue the correspondence between your steading and the Palace._

_To that end, you may find these helpful when next you are in town._

After that there was a list of restaurants with vegetarian options in Ankh-Morpork and the contact information of manufacturers of something called a ‘chicken run.’


End file.
